Back In Service

A Montpelier fire truck received an upgrade when it was in the shop recently for repairs. Fire Chief Brian Fritsch told the village council last week that truck 67…a pumper tanker…got a new frame but also a tandem axle during a recent repair. He said the department took control of the truck in 2000. The crack was found either in 2019 or 2020. Fritsch said Chris Hinkle, village mechanic, stripped it down, taking off the box, which Fritsch said at times appeared to overwhelm him. Village Manager Jason Rockey called it an “enormous undertaking” as the box has “miles and miles and miles” of wire inside it. The pump, which also came off, has its own complexity, too. Still, the job was needed as no repair shop would remove the box. When asked by a member of council, Fritsch said they had talked about taking it to the manufacturer. The truck was returned, painted and put back together earlier this month.